Church of the Holy Family — Main Street

Freestanding double-height Catholic church on complex-plan, built c. 1900-3 (foundation stone laid in 1900) and altered 1936, comprising double-height six-bay nave having polygonal apsidal chancel to the east, double-height single-bay gable-fronted side chapels to the north and south sides of chancel, paired shallow double-height single-bay single-storey transepts to the north and south, single-storey sacristy to the south-east side of chancel with modern single-storey flat-roofed boiler room attached to the south, single-bay single-storey entrance porch to the north-west side of transepts to the north having bowed projection to the west, three-bay single-storey entrance porch to the west gable end of nave having central shallow projecting single-bay gable-fronted entrance porch, and with later single-storey block attached to the south-west side of nave. Pitched artificial slate roofs with projecting corbelled eaves course, raised rendered verges to the gable ends of main body of building having kneeler stones at eaves level on scrolled corbels and with moulded pedestals to gable apexes having Celtic cross finals over, raised rendered verges to the east gable end of side chapels having kneeler stones at eaves level and pedestals to gable apexes with wrought-iron finials over, and raised rendered verges to the gable ends of transepts having kneeler stones at eaves level and pedestals to gable apexes with cross finials over. Hipped artificial slate roof to apse having projecting corbelled eaves course. Mono-pitch artificial slate roof to west porch having corbelled eaves course, and raised rounded rendered verges to the north and south with kneeler stones at eaves level. Cut stone coping to porch to the west having cut stone kneeler stones at eaves level and cut stone cross finial over gable apex. Raised smooth rendered parapet to the porch to the north-west having moulded cornice at eaves level. Pitched artificial slate roofs to sacristy and addition to the south-west side of nave. Some surviving sections of cast-iron rainwater goods. Smooth rendered walls over projecting smooth rendered plinth course, and with raised and dressed ashlar sandstone block-and-start quoins to corners of main body of building, to porch to the west, to corners of apse, to side chapels, to either end of paired transepts, and to the north-west corner of porch to the north. Clasping buttresses to either end of nave having raised and dressed ashlar sandstone block-and-start quoins and with feather ashlar sandstone coping over. Projecting confessionals to the transepts to the north and south. Projecting corbelled stringcourses to the gable apexes to the east and west ends of main body of building. Paired round-headed window openings to nave side elevations having stucco hoodmouldings over linked by continuous stringcourses, chamfered sills, and with leaded stained glass windows. Paired round-headed window openings to gable ends of transepts having chamfered sills, stucco hoodmouldings, and with leaded stained glass windows; round window openings over to gable apexes having stucco hoodmouldings and leaded stained glass windows. Round window openings to the east gable ends of side chapels having central round windows surrounded by six round window openings, hoodmouldings over, and with leaded stained glass windows. Tripartite round-headed window opening to the centre of apse having ashlar sandstone surround with ashlar sandstone mullions, continuous moulded sill course, cut sandstone hoodmouldings, and with leaded stained glass windows; round-headed window openings to side sections of apse having ashlar sandstone surround, cut sandstone hoodmoulding, and with leaded stained glass windows. Round sexafoil wheel window to the west gable end having cut stone plate tracery, hoodmoulding over, and with leaded stained glass windows (added 1954); window flanked to either side by round-headed statue niches (empty) with corbelled pedestals to base and with stucco hoodmouldings over. Round-headed window openings to the north and south ends of the west elevation of porch to west having hoodmouldings over, and with chamfered sills. Square-headed openings to sacristy and addition to the south-west having modern fittings. Round-headed doorway to central projecting bay to the porch to the west having flanking cut stone colonnettes, cut stone hoodmoulding, battened timber double-doors with wrought-iron hinges, and with plain overlight. Round-headed doorway to the north elevation of porch to the north having ashlar sandstone block-and-start surrounds with ovolo and chamfered mouldings, cut stone hoodmoulding over with label stops, battened timber double-doors with decorative wrought-iron hinges, and with overlight. Arcades of round-headed arches separating transepts and side chapels from main body of church to the interior; arcades supported on round columns, and with stucco hoodmouldings over with decorative label stops; round-headed chancel arch with flanking colonnettes, and with stucco hoodmoulding over; hammer beam roof with pierced trefoil motifs to spandrels, and with braced timber trusses; boarded timber ceiling; choir balcony to west with timber panelled balustrade with carved insets and engaged timber colonnettes; carved marble altar, and with carved timber frontispieces to confessionals to transepts. Set back from road in own grounds a short distance to the west of the centre of Ardara. Graveyard to the east and south of site with collection of mainly twentieth-century upstanding memorials; collection of recumbent late nineteenth-century cut stone gravemarkers associated with earlier church to site (built c. 1853). Freestanding belfry to the south-west comprising bell metal bell supported on cast-iron casing on decorative cast-iron columns. Rendered boundary wall to road-fronted to the north having moulded rendered coping and metal railings over. Gateway to the north comprising a pair of smooth rendered gate piers (on square-plan) having moulded smooth rendered coping over; gateway flanked to either side by curved sections of roughcast rendered walling having smooth rendered plinths to base, and with moulded smooth rendered coping and metal railings over. Associated parochial house (see 40836009) to the west in shared grounds.